Vance Astro is a member of the original Guardians of the Galaxy and is the team's leader in its initial incarnation. As a forewarning I must say that like Starhawk, Vance's story is a bit of a crazy, mind bending, time loopy trip, so strap your noggins on tight. Vance is a human mutant with telekinetic powers (Ability to move objects with his mind). Vance is an astronaut on Earth who is selected to go a special mission to be part of the first interstellar mission. His mission takes hundreds of years and he lands in Alpha Centauri in a very different world than the one he left behind.

Alternate Timeline Explained:
The adventures of the Original Guardians of the Galaxy occur in an alternate timeline in the 31st century (Roughly a 1000 years from now). This is an alternate timeline because Vance Astro returns to the present 21st century and makes changes that result in an alternate timeline that the modern Marvel 616 (Main comic universe) is following. Also Starhawk has manipulated events that have caused further deviations from the Original Guardians Timeline to the one present in the Modern Marvel comics timeline.

Bio:
Vance Astro is a genuis, prodigy, in top physical condition and the youngest astronaut ever. The year is 1988 and he volunteers to go on an insane mission to travel interstellar (Outside our solar system) to the Alpha Centurari System to the planet Centauri IV. NASA believed there was life on Centauri IV and wanted someone to go there and study its animals and fauna. Earth had not yet discovered faster than light travel meaning the trip would take approximately a 1000 years. As a human can not live for a 1000 years they found ways to freeze him in suspended animation. He also wore an adamantium (Initially copper but since retconned) suit and filled his blood full of preservative to prevent aging.

Vance Astro embarks on his mission. He wakes up for periods as long as a year to adjust his course and make repairs to the space ship. During these period he goes crazy from loneliness. Also his mutant telekinitec power suddenly becomes active causing him confusion. The power had been dormant and only become active during his long voyage.

Events while Vance is sleeping:
While Vance is on this mission the whole world is passing him by. Earth invents interstellar travel and beat him to Alpha Centauri. Also there are massive changes to Earth itself. First, all of the mutants led by Wolverine and Magneto leave Earth and go on to found two planets one of only humans and one of mutants.

Over the 1000 years Vance has been sleeping humans have landed on Pluto
and Jupiter etc and evolved to fit those environments. These species include massive Jovians on the planet of Jupiter and Plutonians with special environmental powers on the planet Pluto.

When Vance arrives at Centauri IV he is given a heroes greetings. While no one was able to intercept his ship, humans and already been on the planet for sometime. Vance is not very happy with the greeting he sees his whole life as being stupid and superflous. Moreover, his mission to categorize life on the planet has already been accomplished leaving him without a purpose. He is very much a man out of time, and out of place.

Badoon Invasion and formation of Guardians of the Galaxy
The Badoon then invade the Solar System Sol (Our Solar System) and without the mutants to protect Earth they fairly easily overrun it. The Badoon then go around Sol and wipe out humans and the other species that evolved from humans. The Badoon arrive on Centuari IV and wipe out the colony. The only survivors are Vance Astro and the native Centaurian Yondu. The two escape and meet up with two other survivors of the Badoon invasion Charlie 27 a massive Jovian (Human evolved to be stronger on the planet Jupiter) and Martinex the last Plutonian (Plutonians being humans evolved to survive on Pluto). The Guardians then leave on a mission to free Earth from the Badoon empire.

It is later revealed that the meeting of Vance and the Guardians was instigated by Starhawk.

Vance Astro under goes a mission to find Captain America's shield and finds it and wears it in the 31st century.

A time displaced Vance Astro meets the modern Guardians of the Galaxy and gives them the idea of naming themselves the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Relationship with Yondu:
Vance Astro initially treats Yondu as an inferior due to Yondu's less technological society. This is some what controversial as initially it came across that the native's society was less-than Vance's more technologically advanced culture and civilization. In later comics Vance apologizes for how he treats Yondu. The two are depicted as close friends and teammates on later adventures.

Is Vance potentially Starlord's father in the Marvel Cinematic Universe:

Yes, though likely James Gunn would change him in some ways to simplify his story. Lets review how this could occur.

The four clues we are given about Starlords father:
1) He needs to meet Meredith Quill on Earth in the early 1980s late 1970s.
2) He is described as being an Angel by Meredith Quill
3) He is described as being a Jack Ass by Yondu, and he needs to have communicated with Yondu to bring back Peter Quill.
4) He needs to have DNA that Nova can not identify.

1) Vance Astro could have met Meredith Quill either prior to his mission which occurred in 1988 or as a time displaced person. Vance Astro in the comics actually returns at one point and meets his old self and tells him not to go on the mission and instead he becomes an Avenger.

2) Vance in his suit could appear bright, and shiny, it could also be a reference to lights from a ship.

3) Vance could know Yondu from previous adventures. Vance has a comic history of treating Yondu baddly which could certainly warrant Yondu considering him to be a Jack Ass. Vance Astro has a long comic history with Yondu so this would make sense.

4) This one is difficult because Vance Astro is human. He does have human mutant DNA and without mutants in the MCU Gunn would need to come up with another way of explaining his powers. Perhaps whatever this is changed to would explain the abnormal DNA.

One other reason it would fit is that Gunn has mentioned that one other character from the Old Guardians of the Galaxy would appear in the sequel. If that character were Vance Astro it would be hard to see how he could be integrated into the movie without serving some major purpose like being Starlord's father.

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